At the funeral Sunday of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, whose body was returned by Hamas from Gaza last week, the fallen soldier’s father demanded justice be done “with those responsible for October 7, 2023 catastrophe,” as he and President Isaac Herzog called for a state commission of inquiry.

Thousands gathered at Tel Aviv’s Kiryat Shaul cemetery for the funeral of US-Israeli national Chen, a tank crew member who was killed near Nahal Oz during the Hamas-led onslaught.

Burying his son, Ruby Chen called out the politicians “who were supposed to be the responsible adults and the top officials responsible.”

“We will pursue them all and will not stop until they are required, under oath, to give every Israeli answers and to take responsibility — all within the framework of a state commission of inquiry,” said Chen. “A whole nation now stands and waits for answers, waiting for justice to be both seen and done with those responsible for the catastrophe.”

The government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the catastrophe, and is instead considering establishing and appointing its own panel to investigate the catastrophic Hamas invasion, as well as the lead-up to it and the subsequent war, instead of an impartial state commission of inquiry.

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“Israel’s politicians also gave Hamas motivation to attack because they wouldn’t listen to the army commanders who came and told them there was a danger at the door of the State of Israel,” said Chen, referring to the warnings given by the defense establishment in 2023. He also singled out the government’s divisive judicial overhaul, which caused societal polarization that was seen as sending a signal of internal weakness to Israel’s enemies.


Staff Sgt. Itay Chen (Courtesy)

Standing over his grave, Ruby promised Itay that he and his wife Hagit, alongside many others, would continue to seek justice from the people “who put you in a defenseless base with no backup,” and that they wouldn’t stop until they got answers.

Chen said that while Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, who was present at the funeral as the government’s representative, “symbolizes to our family Jewish values that we were raised on,” his colleagues do not.

He said Sofer’s coalition colleagues have “pursued honor instead of humility, money instead of helping others, and backroom deals instead of ‘love thy neighbor as thyself.’”

He charged Sofer with reminding his fellow government members of these values, which he said they had forgotten, and told him to bring them to the cemetery.

“Call me, and we will walk together in this sacred place and visit [Col. Asaf] Hamami and the other heroes and set them straight, or we will throw them out, damn them,” said Chen, referring to another of the slain hostages whose body was returned last week.


The funeral of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv on November 9, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Chen thanked members of the Biden and Trump administrations for their help, naming Jake Sullivan, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and US Vice President JD Vance, and said that victory and a better future will begin with the return of the last of the hostages.

“I pray that there will be enough worthy leaders in this country who will know how to lead us to that right place,” said Chen, to applause as he and wife Hagit saluted the grave of their son.

Before the eulogies commenced, a recording was played of the last minutes of the battle Itay fought on October 7, in which his voice and the sound of gunshots were heard.

משפחתו של סמ”ר איתי חן חשפה בלוויה את קולות הקשר מהטנק שהוא וחבריו לחמו בו ב-7/10. pic.twitter.com/S1duplerkA

— זירת החדשות (@ZiratNews) November 9, 2025

President Isaac Herzog then offered the first eulogy, calling Itay Chen a “national symbol” and also issuing a call for a proper probe into October 7.

“We learned your story and learned your sense of purpose, and want to tell you today, thank you, thank you to Perez’s crew,” said Herzog referring to the tank’s slain commander, Daniel Perez.

He also noted how good it was to see another of the tank’s crewmates, former hostage Matan Angrest, who was present. Angrest was the only member of the crew not to have been killed. He was taken hostage by Hamas and was one of the last 20 living hostages released last month.


Released hostage Matan Angrest at the funeral crewmate Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv on November 9, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Herzog said that at every funeral and encounter with a bereaved family, he is in awe of “this remarkable generation, your generation, Itay.”

He noted that the Chen family decided not to sit shiva for their son until his body was returned home from Gaza, lauding the family’s strength and the Chens’ “extraordinary, almost impossible campaign across the world.”

Herzog also praised the “determined international effort, spearheaded by President Donald Trump” to bring all the hostages home.

Herzog also referred to the Chens’ repeated call for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry.

“I repeat it again here, because we all know that only an independent, professional, and comprehensive investigation can yield answers to these questions – the very questions the Chen family and countless Israelis have asked themselves every day since October 7,” he said.


President Isaac Herzog speaks at the funeral of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, at the military cemetery in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv on November 9, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

A eulogy by Trump’s envoy Witkoff was broadcast at the funeral, in which he spoke of Chen’s quiet heroism and true courage, and how he got to know him through his family.

“This journey also brought me to reflect on my own path, on my son Andrew, whose passing reshaped my heart forever,” said Witkoff. “Losing a child is an ache beyond words, and yet it is through that pain that I found myself drawn to families like the Chens. It was as if Andrew, in some divine way, was guiding me toward those who needed a voice, a hand, a friend. And in helping them, I found pieces of healing for my own soul.”


US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff snuffles Gucci the dog as he speaks to Hagit and Ruby Chen in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, on May 13, 2025. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Witkoff also shared condolences from Jared Kushner and lauded Trump’s leadership, which Witkoff said was “driven not by politics, but by humanity, his sense of humanity, and by the simple belief that every life matters, and that no one should ever be forgotten. I am so proud to call him my friend, and to call him my president of the United States.”

Itay’s mother, Hagit, said she had refused to say goodbye to her son or let anyone talk about him as though he were dead over the last two years, even after they had been told he hadn’t survived the battle with Hamas.

“I defended your honor as much as I could. For two years and one month, I told everyone you were a rare, brave, heroic, funny, good-looking, and talented young man,” she said, adding that he came home “whole and peaceful like an Israeli hero should come back from battle.”

“I won’t be able to make you chocolate chip cookies anymore, and I won’t be able to go to the cinema with you on Thursdays. I will no longer set the table for five. You won’t go on a post-army trip with your beloved Neta, you’ll never drive a race car, you’ll never play with your dog Gucci,” she added, thanking him for the “privilege and honor” of having been his mother.


Hagit Chen eulogizes her son, slain hostage soldier Itay Chen, at his funeral in Tel Aviv, on November 9, 2025. (Dana Rani/Hostages and Missing Families Forum)

Itay’s younger brother Alon spoke of his regret that “I didn’t tell you how much I love you. I hope you see us and never drop that big smile,” he said.

Roi, Itay’s older brother, thanked the Hostages and Missing Families Forum and those among the public who took to the streets to remind the families that they weren’t alone.

“You are the reason my family was able to keep going during these long two years,” said Roi, adding that the bereaved families deserve an independent commission to investigate what happened on October 7.

Itay was taken from a tank near Nahal Oz along with his crewmates, Capt. Daniel Perez and Sgt. Tomer Leibovitz, who were both killed, and Angrest.

Leibovitz was buried on October 17, 2023, in the Kiryat Shaul Military Cemetery. Perez’s initial funeral was held on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on March 18, 2024. His family held a second funeral after his body was released by Hamas last month.